Three Weeks, Two Marathons, One Chronic Illness

A Bad October

Yesterday afternoon I began replying to “How are you?” with “I’ve had better days.” Both the kids woke up sick yesterday morning and my wife Kristen was also sick. I went about trying to help them all feel better, take some care of the dog, and get ready for work. All this while on crutches.

By about 9 AM, Michael had spiked a fever to around 101F. Kristen and I decided that a trip to the doctor was in order. So we took them both together. They asked that she and the kids wear masks, and I grabbed one also. After an exam, a nasal swab, and about 15 minutes we learned that both kids tested positive for the H1N1 virus.

Now, this didn’t surprise us at all. In fact, we were concerned that they had it. We needed to know so I could get TamiFlu. Michael is also on TamiFlu, as he has asthma. Kristen didn’t is assumed to have H1N1, but was not tested. They all have a nasty cough, headache, sore throat, and significant fatigue. Interestingly, Kristen doesn’t have a fever. The CDC says that 30% of H1N1 cases are without fever.

So, for the next few days, it’s going to be lots of liquids, tylenol, advil, and rest for the three of them. And, I’ll hope that the TamiFlu keeps me from getting this.

Oh, and I do have to complain a bit here. My insurance plan through work (H@#$#A) sucks. They have TamiFlu as a Tier 3 drug. So, we threw away $40 for each of the Rx of TamiFlu. I’m sorry, but in a year that they know there’s going to be a high demand for a drug they make sure that it’s the highest Tier. They’ve also been taking all of my CF related meds to Tier 3 also. About 1-2 per year. I can’t wait to see what happens next year with the insurance.